B_13 - SE-R

What is a SE-R?

Its the first to offer Nissan's famous and then-new SR20DE engine in the sporty two-door SE-R model. Setting subcompact speed records of the time, the Sentra SE-R came with 140 hp (104.4 kW) at 6400 rpm and 132 lb·ft (179 N·m) of torque at 4800 rpm. It could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (100 km/h) in 7.6 seconds and the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds.

It came with 4-wheel disc brakes and had a MacPherson strut, independent suspension. Further improving the handling was a viscous limited-slip differential, which was standard equipment on the SE-R. The B13 SE-R returns 21 MPG city/29 MPG highway.

The SE-R lettering can be been found on three generations of Nissan sport compacts: the 1991-1994 (B13) Sentra, 1995-1998 (B14) 200SX, and the 2002-2005 (B15) Sentra, as well as the 2005+ (L31) Altima SE-R. Though "SE-R" isn't an acronym for anything (as with "SS" for Super Sport, etc.), it's sometimes used as an umbrella descriptor for any car powered by Nissan's 2.0-liter, 140hp four-cylinder SR20DE engine (Infiniti G20, Nissan NX2000, etc.). The 2002 Sentra SE-R uses the more powerful, but less free-revving 2.5L QR25DE, while the Altima SE-R has the 3.5L VQ35DE V-6.

From the outside, the original Sentra SE-R looks a lot like an ordinary Sentra two-door, but with minor upgrades like alloy wheels, factory fog lights, and a trunk lid spoiler. To find the main difference, you have to look under the hood. Replacing the standard 1.6L GA16DE engine is the DOHC 2.0L SR20DE, mated to a close ratio 5-speed gearbox with a viscous limited-slip differential. The car features 140hp, 132ft-lb torque, and a 7500RPM redline stock, as well as stiffer springs, larger sway-bars, four-wheel disk brakes, and SE-R-only 14-inch rims.

The SR20DE was originally destined for cars like the Nissan Primera (Infiniti G20) - the engine's combination of high revs, economy, and reliability fit the Primera's profile as an Autobahn tourer. The SR20DE isn't the lightest for its displacement (the new 2.5L QR25DE is no bigger), but it does have a very strong bottom end. Turbocharged versions called the SR20DET were used in higher-end sports efforts like the Silvia and rally-bound Pulsar GTi-R, and highly massaged NA versions have powered winning Primera touring cars. Dropping the SR20DE in the Sentra was one of Nissan's wisest moves of the 1990s - it's a gem.

In Mexico's, Tsuru 2000 GSR was indentical to the American SE-R, except for minor details like badging on the doors, a roof-mounted antenna, and no side marker signals on the bumper. The 2000 GSR was produced through 1995, and is as popular in Mexican amateur motorsports as the SE-R is in the U.S.

  

The SE-R has the duality for both around town driving and racing or around town racing. It's a lot of fun to drive the car hard, and can be pushed to the limits fairly predictably. Car and Driver says, "Even if you have all day to get from point A to point B, the SE-R will have you driving as if you were very late."

It became an instant cult hit among owners and automobile journalists. It was on Car and Driver's Ten Best List all four years of its production ('91-'94) and Automobile's All-Star list in 1993 and 1994, among others. Even today Sport Compact Car considers it to be one of their 10 best used car buys and none of them had leather seats or power windows.

  

Source : Google, Images, serjimr.tripod.com